The Environmental Working Group is outraged and deeply saddened by the slaughter in the Atlanta area of eight innocent Americans, including six of Asian descent, by a 21-year-old white man who police say has confessed to the senseless killings.
The killer claims he was not motivated by race, but the recent surge in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders is shocking and heartbreaking. Groups that track hate crimes say the surge is at least partly fueled by former President Trump’s repeated false claims that China is to blame for the coronavirus pandemic – a tragic and shameful reminder that the U.S. remains plagued by systemic racism and white supremacy.
Here is a statement by EWG President Ken Cook.
Six of the victims who were targeted and brutally murdered shared something: They were Asian Americans who were working to make a better life for themselves and their families. But they will never see them again, because another armed, angry and deranged white man took it as his right to take their lives.
The dead in Atlanta are the latest victims of a disgusting rise in crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders because of the color of their skin and the dangerous and reckless rhetoric directed at them by powerful voices who have falsely blamed them for the pandemic.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends and co-workers of those who were murdered. We hope justice for the killer will be swift.
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The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action. Visit www.ewg.org for more information.